RACING: SCOTTISH GRAND NATIONALPORTRAIT KING'S ability to travel across the Irish Sea and pick up a big prize was proved in Newcastle's Eider Chase last February but the Maurice Phelan-trained stayer will chase a slice of history in today's Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr.
No Irish trained horse has won the four-mile marathon in modern times and there is some doubt about whether the 1869 winner Huntsman qualifies as the race didn’t have the Scottish National title then!
Denis O’Regan again teams up with Portrait King today and Athy, Co Kildare-based Phelan is hopeful of a big run in a 25-runner field.
“He’s travelled well and he seems in good form with himself. He’s had eight weeks since Newcastle so he’s coming here a fresh horse and I think the ground will be in his favour,” he said yesterday.
“It was a choice between this and the Irish Grand National and we decided to come here for the longer trip. He’s gone up in the weights again, but I think he’s still improving and he gets into the race with a nice racing weight,” Phelan added.
It is only four years since Notre Pere became the first Irish-trained winner of the Welsh National at Chepstow.
Portrait King’s is rated one of the ante-post market leaders with Ruby Walsh’s mount Harry The Viking, part-owned by Alex Ferguson, topping the lists.
The early Aintree-faller Junior tops the weights while Merigo bids to become the first since Androma to win back-to-back Scottish Nationals.
Today’s Naas feature is the diametric opposite to a National, the five furlong Listed Woodlands Stakes, where the English raider is the Robert Cowell-trained Spirit Quartz, winner of a Group Three in Italy last year.
The Reaper ended a streak of a dozen defeats when edging out Experience in a similar grade contest to this at Cork a fortnight ago and might build on that enough to double up.
Johnny Murtagh can also hit the bullseye in the following maiden on board Royal Visit who ran a fine debut at the Curragh behind Redoubtable.
TG4 will screen a preview of the Punchestown Irish National Hunt Racing Festival tonight at 9.30pm. The programme will also be repeated tomorrow at 11am. It includes visits to the stables of Willie Mullins and Robbie Hennessy and will examine Davy Russell’s quest to win a first ever jockey’s title.
SCOTTISH GRAND NATIONAL: 5-1 Harry The Viking, 7-1 Merigo, 8-1 Portrait King, 10-1 Ikorodu Road Junior Knockara Beau, 14-1 Others.
